{"id":2068,"date":"2026-07-05T12:12:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2068"},"modified":"2026-07-05T12:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:12:34","slug":"philly-will-close-17-schools-and-modernize-169-meet-the-educator-leading-the-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2068","title":{"rendered":"Philly will close 17 schools and modernize 169. Meet the educator leading the transition."},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><div><audio><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p>Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. has promised \u201cwhite-glove treatment\u201d for families and schools affected by a facilities master plan that will close 17 schools and modernize 169 over the next decade. And he appointed a Philadelphia School District veteran to lead the charge.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2066\">Phoenixville\u2019s Bluebird Distilling combines alcohol and artisanal dough making in new $2.2M expansion<\/a><\/p><div><\/div><p>Shakeera Warthen-Canty, formerly assistant superintendent of school operations and management, was recently named head of the new School Transition Office, tasked with implementing the $3 billion plan remaking schools across the city. <\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>Warthen-Canty and four other employees will work in the new office, which will also pull in as-needed help from departments across the district \u2014 school safety, transportation, student placement, facilities, and more.<\/p><div><\/div><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" alt=\"The Inquirer logo\" class=\"wp-image-47\" src=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/faba80d67140212ba32240655442c529.png\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n        Read more about the facilities plan\n      <\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Wholesale changes are coming to the Philadelphia School District, with the school board passing a $3 billion facilties plan that aims to close 17 schools permanently, and renovate 169.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. presented the plan to the school board Feb. 26 and it immediately faced strong opposition. After some amendments, the board passed the plan April 30.\u00a0Here&#8217;s what we do and don&#8217;t know about it.<\/p>\n<p>And to see the proposed list school closures and check how your school could be impacted,\u00a0use our interactive charts.<\/p>\n<p>Each of the schools proposed for closure has its own story. Find them all here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><div><\/div><p>\u201cWe know that this is going to be a big task, but it\u2019s going to be met,\u201d said Warthen-Canty, who\u2019s spent decades in the district as a teacher and principal. \u201cWe know there have been some challenges, but we want to make sure our communities and families know that we have a place where you can get answers.\u201d<\/p><div><\/div><p>Warthen-Canty officially assumed the new role Wednesday ahead of the 2026-27 school year, which Watlington has designated as a planning year for schools affected by closures and other major shifts.<\/p><div><\/div><div><h3>Experts in their communities<\/h3><\/div><div><\/div><p>Initially, the office will focus on schools closing, merging, and undergoing major renovationsin the 2027-28 school year; other projects are slated to happen in subsequent years.<\/p><div><\/div><p>Though much emphasis has been placed on the 17 closures, which were the subject of much pushback from the community and City Council, much of the office\u2019s work will center on modernization projects, ranging from additions to painting projects and handicap accessibility work. <\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>Watlington announced the office\u2019s formal launch at Patterson Elementary in Southwest Philadelphia, a school set to undergo a $45 million renovation as it grows from a K-4 to a K-8. It will take in some students from nearby Tilden Middle School, which is slated to close. <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2064\">Dot cake went from TikTok trend to Philly bakeries. Here\u2019s how 3 small businesses jumped on the bandwagon.<\/a><\/p><div><\/div><p>The transition office will be key as the complex work moves along, said Warthen-Canty. Patterson is slated to get 13 additional classrooms, a new gym or cafeteria, and an elevator. <\/p><div><\/div><p>\u201cSome of the pieces of what that looks like, what elements need to be there, we need the Patterson team to work alongside of us,\u201d she said.<\/p><div><\/div><p>Folks on the ground \u201cknow their communities, they\u2019re experts in their communities. And that\u2019s a part of the planning,\u201d she said.<\/p><div><\/div><div><\/div><p>System-wide, how many projects can be completed and in what time frame is not assured. <\/p><div><\/div><p>The district will allocate $1 billion of its capital budget over the next 10 years to complete some of the projects, but it\u2019s also banking on $2 billion from philanthropic and state sources \u2014 money that\u2019s not guaranteed.<\/p><div><\/div><p>And while Warthen-Canty believes the facilities plan will ultimately expand opportunity and better position the district to advance students\u2019 academics, she knows some of its transitions \u2014 particularly the closures \u2014 will be tough.<\/p><div><\/div><p>\u201cMy heart goes out\u201d to affected families and schools, Warthen-Canty said. \u201cEven people that are being co-located or merging, those are major changes.\u201d<\/p><div><\/div><p>Part of the work, Warthen-Canty said, is going to be convincing families in schools where those major changes are happening that should they shouldremain in the district.<\/p><div><\/div><p>In the case of the school system forcing families to leave their schools and go elsewhere, \u201cwe want to make sure that there\u2019s extracurriculars in these schools they\u2019re going to. We\u2019re increasing the art and music,\u201d Warthen-Canty said. \u201cWhat are the resources we can put in place so that we\u2019re ensuring that when the students get there that they\u2019re going to have that well-rounded education, increased opportunities?\u201d<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=2062\">Penn doctor studied PCOS symptoms for more than a decade to rename the syndrome PMOS<\/a><\/p><div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shakeera Warthen-Canty will manage the $3 billion facilities plan, helping families and staff with the transition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Philly will close 17 schools and modernize 169. 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